Dibru-Saikhowa is a biosphere reserve. This little known site, is one of the biodiversity hot spots situated in the south bank of the river Brahmaputra. It is located in the alluvial flood plains of the Brahmaputra. Fashioned by nature – earthquakes and ever changing water courses it has numerous island pockets and water bodies providing an unusual habitat for varied wildlife
and aqua fauna and avifauna.

Contained between the Debang, Lohit & the Great Brahmaputra rivers,the 340 sq Kms reserve was set up with a view to protecting the grass land and swamp habitat. Its internal water channels & bodies,seasonally flooded forests, “beels”, and grassy pockets, makes it an interesting birding destination for rare specialized grass land and swamp forest birds such as the threatened Marsh Babbler, Jerdon’s Babbler, Black throated Parrotbill, Rufous-vented( swamp) Prinia, and Jerdons Bushcat. You can also spot altitudinal migrants such as Pale-capped pigeon, White-tailed Rubythroat,and Black – breasted Thrush, and various warblers. More than 300 species have been recorded.

Located in Arunachal Pradesh, Namdapha lies in the extreme North East of India. Spread over 1985 sq Kms, Its altitude varies from 200 m to 4578 m. However it is only approachable up to altitudes of 850 m.Its avifauna is a unique blend of Indo-Burmese, Sino-Tibetan and Himalayan forms, which thrives in the bio-diverse habitat encompassing tropical, temperate and alpine. Largely unexplored 665 species of birds have been recorded, of which some are exotic – Blyth’s Tragopan,Wards Tragopan White- Winged Wood Duck, Rufus necked hornbill, Blue napped Pitta, Wedge-billed Wren Babbler, snow
throated Babbler, and Beautiful Nuthatch. Brown Hornbills may occur here, together with a fabulous list of pheasants, babblers and laughing-thrushes, which include the Arunachal endemic – Austen’s Spotted Babbler. Whilst such truly rare and elusive species occur, you should treat a sighting of any of them as a real bonus. It will be years before sites for such species are sufficiently well known for them to be found more easily.Nonetheless a visit to this remote park is an experience to remember.

The park is home to outstanding wet tropical forest. The remote and inaccessible nature of the park has preserved its pristine forests,and much of the area remains unexplored. It is as close to true wilderness as any of the many national parks and sanctuaries in India.But do bear in mind that access will be restricted, as the network of trails and tracks that allow exploration of most national parks and wildlife reserves simply does not exist here. Over 150 species of tree are found in Namdapha, including such tropical giants as Hollock,Mekai, Hollong, Jutuli, Dhuna, Mechelia champaka and others. Amongst the temperate and subtropical zones a wide variety of rhododendrons and oaks, birch and magnolias are found. Species of particular note are Pinus merkusi and Abies dalavavi, which are not found elsewhere in India; whilst one of the rarest and most endangered orchids, the Blue Vanda, occurs here, together with the Mishmi Teeta a well-known local medicinal plant, used by endemic tribal people to treat a host of illnesses.

Details of the trip are as follows :

19th December 2009: Arrive Dibrugarh in the morning, transfer to Dibru-saikhowa ( 1 1/2 hrs). Birding around the guest house. Overnight at Dibru-saikhowa.

20th December 2009 : Boat Safari / Borajan WLS visit. Overnight at Dibru-saikhowa.

21st December 2009 : Trekking/Maguli beel visit. Overnight at Dibru-saikhowa.

22nd December 2009 : After the breakfast drive to Namdapha & Overnight at Namdapha.

23rd December 2009 : Birding/trekking at Gibbons Land.Overnight at Namdapha

24th December 2009 : Birding /Trekking around 13th Mile/Anamika falls.Overnight at Namdapha

25th December 2009 : Birding around 19th Mile and transfer to Dibrugarh.Tour ends.

Cost : Rs.20,500/ per person Ex- Dibrugarh.

Cost includes : Transporation,all meals,guide charges ,Inner line permit and entry & Boating fees to the national park Ex – Dibrugarh for Indians.

For further details, please contact:

IT Nature Club
C/O Avanti Holidays
1922.Nisarga Layout
3rd Main 4th A Cross
Bannerghatta Post
Bangalore-560083
Tel/Fax : 080 – 27824059
(M) : 9845383882
Email : itnatureclub@rediffmail.com
itnatureclub@gmail.com
info@avantiholidays.com
Web : http://www.itnatureclub.com

Cost does not include : Camera Charges and any personal expenses.

Participants must be in Guwahati by 18th of December in order to leave for Dibrugarh to begin the trip. There is a good non-stop train from Bangalore to Guwahati, apart from the air option.

GreatEscapes, in association with Pixetra Club, presents an expedition in to the heart of the Western Ghats with wildlife photographer Amoghavarsha.

Spend 2 days in the thick rainforests of Agumbe, a
King Cobra haven that receives the second highest rainfall in India.
Camp at the country’s first rainforest research station – the ARRS,
and experience Radio Telemetry Tracking of animals first hand.

The photo expedition involves trekking through pristine forests which are home to several rare and endemic species of animals, found nowhere else on the planet. Photograph these rare species in addition to beautiful waterfalls and landscapes that would leave you mesmerized.

The total cost of the expedition ex-Bangalore is Rs 8900/-,
which includes a pre-expedition workshop, travel charges to Agumbe and back,
food and accommodation, local transport and guide and tracker charges.

For further details log on to

www.greatescapes.co.in

To register, please call

Ajay: 98441 61733 / 98861 01005
or Email

info@greatescapes.co.in

Or directly contact:

Amoghavarsha:

+91 9901044344

Website:
http://amoghavarsha.com

Email:
email@amoghavarsha.com

Presents

Urban Explorers

A summer workshop for kids (ages 11-15)

A five day action packed week of exploration of Namma Bengaluru

Understand your city: Learn from outdoor sessions

Learn about how old is my city? How big is my city? How many are we in the city? How do we move in the city and what are its impacts? From where does my city get its water and what happens to the water I flush? How green is my city? How much waste does my city generate and where does it go? What is climate change and how will it affect me?

And most importantly what can I do for my city?

Come discover your ecological footprint on our city and on this planet.

Explore Lakes, Parks, Gardens, Streets and Forests in and around our city

Learn more about urban wildlife

A never before experience of fun, excitement and learning!

APRIL 13th -17th 2009 (non-residential)

Register Now! Rs.1000/-only

Get a ‘Urban Explorer’ Certificate and become an active explorer in your neighbourhood

Contact: Environment Support Group 105, East End ‘B’ Main, Jayanagar 9th Block, Bangalore -560069

Telephone: 26531339/22441977, Website: www.esgindia.org Email: esg@esgindia.org /bhargavi@esgindia.org

Bangalore’s first underwater photography exhibition. Check out the magic of marine life this MONDAY 5TH JANUARY 6:30-9:30 PM at Global Tree Cafe, F&B (Pappanna St, off St Mark’s Road)

www.fandb.in

=======================================================

Umeed Mistry is a nature lover, photographer, closet writer, scuba instructor and chocolate addict, with a deep and special affinity for the ocean. Having learned to dive at the age of 15 he has spent the last twelve years attempting to get as intimate as possible with the ocean and her children. Umeed’s journey into underwater photography began in 2005 while managing a dive centre on the little island of Bangaram in the Arabian Sea. The earlier years spent underwater, observing the movement of light and the behaviour of the magical creatures that inhabit this liquid realm, provided him with an almost instinctual aptitude for photographing life beneath the surface of the sea.
He was awarded the Better Photography Landscape Award for the image titled ‘Tioman’, and went on to win the Better Photography Photographer of the Year 2007 Award with his panoramic depictions of Bangalore city.
Aside from bringing the beauty of the oceans to homes across India Umeed uses his images to educate people about the fragility of marine habitats in the Indian Ocean. He has spent the last six years diving extensively around the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea, the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the numerous islands of Malaysia and Indonesia. A fish out of water in the metros he stays connected to nature by creating environmental awareness curriculums, giving talks to school children and creating presentations on sustainability for the Indian Green Building Council. Umeed is happiest with a backpack or scuba tank strapped to his back, his eye looking through the lens of a camera.
The images in this collection at the Global Tree Cafe have been photographed in the oceans around India and South East Asia, except for ‘Jellyfish’, which was photographed in California.

You will find all details at:

http://amoghavarsha.com/workshops/agumbe/

The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station is an awesome place, where there’s an ongoing telemetry project to track the King Cobra…..and there’s also Agumbe town itself, a picturesque place with the heritage home, Dodda Mane, where “Malgudi Days” was shot. The sunrise from Agumbe mountains is a photographer’s delight. This is a beautiful time of year to be in the Western Ghats.

This is primarily a wildlife expedition, so photography won’t be “taught” as such, though Amogh will always be on hand to give you tips!

If you are interested, you could look at my field trip reports:

Snakes and Frogs of Agumbe:

http://deponti.livejournal.com/472912.html

Flora of Agumbe:

http://deponti.livejournal.com/448910.html

Agumbe…Natural Beauty:

http://deponti.livejournal.com/447765.html

Dodda Mane in Agumbe:

http://deponti.livejournal.com/472912.html

Of course, you would see different things, or the same things, differently! Each of us who attended the last expedition had very different images and memories of the trip..

Take a look at his photo gallery at

www.amoghavarsha.com

Do book your seats early; last time there were a few people who couldn’t be accomodated at the last minute.

Several cyclists of Bangalore have got together and done a very professional job of putting together a Tour Of Nilgiris event, that will kick off from St Joseph’s at 6.30am on 25th December, and go through 919 km of mountainous terrain until the 1st January 2009.

Details of the Tour Of Nilgiris are at:

http://www.tourofnilgiris.com/

I am a cyclist, but I can’t participate, fossilized as I am (it would be, quite literally, the last thing I do!) I am drooling over the mental picture of the cyclists sailing through the incredible beauty of the Nilgiris….I can do *that* quite well!

This is a great initiative which these guys have organized, and they have done such a great job of pulling it all together, involving this list of Bangalore people:

Title Sponsor and Food Caterer: Nilgiris 1905
Official Accessory Partner: Wildcraft
Official Radio Partner: Radio Indigo 91.9FM
Official Medical Assistance Partner: Manipal Hospital
Official Print Partner: Time Out Bengaluru
Official Documentation Partner: Flaunge

So anyone who is cycling out there…do visit the TFN site and register if you would like to participate…and if you can’t, or won’t, do come out, at least, on the morning of 25th of December and cheer these people on..they are a great mixed lot, starting from a 11-year old!

*

Tour of the Nilgiris

There are around 40 participants and do visit this page to get an idea about the background of these interesting (and daring!) folks! To ride for 919 kms will definitely be a feat of sorts. The places are already full up (they had 40 places) but you can do your bit and support the cause in different ways as listed on their site. 

An excerpt of one of the profiles: “Dattatreya Pandit Patil, 37, is a grape farmer and passionate cyclist from Sangli. He believes cycling is good for health, good for the environment and good for national integrity and peace! And it is not empty talk. He has been running a district cycling association for more than a decade in Sangli where he trains children of ten years and above for state and national-level competition.”

Currently, they have the following sponsors:
Official Accessory Partner: Wildcraft
Official Radio Partner: Radio Indigo 91.9FM
Official Medical Assistance Partner: Manipal Hospital
Official Print Partner: Time Out Bengaluru

Do support them and spread the word around!

Trek path

Small Rivulets on the way

It was evening by the time we finished our trek. We went back to Chikmagalur district from the place we trekked and found some accommodation which was not so good yet acceptable. We were tired and hungry and all we knew is we had to get some good sleep along with some good food and we were successful in getting both.

View of Hebbe falls from the place we started to trek

Close up view of Hebbe falls.

The next day, we decided to visit Datta Peeta a cave that has a Hindu god and a Darga in the same spot.

We continued our journey further to visit a small waterfall called “Manyaka Dhara” few kilometers away. The water falls continuously but it is said that the origin of the waterfall is still a mystery.

An interesting belief was that once the devotees bathe in this waterfall, they leave behind one item of their clothing after having a bath. The picture indicates the chunk of clothes all over. The place where people worship was very untidy. This is a belief that is said to bring goodness.

Is ‘Cleanliness’ apt in this scenario? Or must I say Cleanliness Vs Godliness?
Not sure what needs to be said in this regards but undoubtedly Belief supersedes fundamental lessons learnt.

It was a wonderful experience to spend the weekend in a pleasant manner.

It’s a must to visit the place for sure.

Obviously, it called for a repeat visit. And that opportunity came by during the previous Saturday when your’s truly made it a point to stop and visit this well known and highly recommended place.

Apparently, the store began, way back in 1977, selling ‘condiments’ – murukkus and the like. You can still buy them here. Along the way, they have transistioned into becoming the forerunner of today’s darshini’s. The storefront is no more than 8 feet ( my math is highly suspect!) with 2 feet reserved for the counter dispensing coupons. Once you buy them, you fight, almost tooth and claw, for space along the balance 6 feet to hand them over to 2 to 3 people inside dispensing the goodies. Evidently, they are specialists. How else do they ensure that the right items are given to the right people, from among a clamouring horde, is beyond me. Throw in the fact that all are hungry as hell!

With the store being on a one way street with ‘no-parking’ strictly enforced, traffic cops merrily cruise by and spirit two wheelers from right under the noses of blissfully engaged diners. Yours truly missed – by the proverbial whisker – his trusty two wheeler being snatched. God bless the kind soul who warned me about the arrival of the cops.

Many reasons apparently account for the popularity of the place. Price, of course, is the redeeming one. I had a plate of idli/vada, shavige baath, kesari baath ( yup, I was hungry, folks!) accompanied by piping hot coffee. All of it dented my purse by merely 30 odd bucks. Not bad all all, I would reckon. I recall, with justifiable rage, having a plate of vadas in a five star hotel that dared to charge 60 bucks each!

The idli was hot, super soft and really melted in the mouth. I’d read somewhere that the dough is made the traditional way using stone rollers. Nothing much to recommend about the vadas though they were super hot and crispy. I’ve had better vadas in some darshinis. Strangely, at Veena Stores, they don’t dispense sambar here, only chutney. The latter is in a way, unlimited.. you ask for it as much as you want and I guess, as many times as you want! Also, I found the taste of pudina in the chutney very unique! The shavige baath too was absolutely divine with a touch of lime, some peanuts and plenty of seasoning. Unfortunately, chutney is dumped into it which, in my opinion, robs it of its taste. Now for the coupe de grace. It has to be the kesari baath. Neither too sweet nor overloaded with ghee and the rava being cooked just right, it was truly manna from heaven. The only disappointment was the coffee, I would say. Too strong for my taste and with sugar almost being rationed! Next time, I’m going to have myself the Vaangibaath and Chowchow baath, for sure.

All in all, if you are around 15th Cross, Malleshwaram, don’t even hesitate to stop at Veena Stores to savour the experience. Here are some pics from my visit.

Runners for Life (RFL), a division of The Fuller Life, is organising the event on the outskirts of Bangalore. An Ultra Marathon is a run where the distances covered by the participants are greater than the standard marathon’s distance of 42.2km. It usually consists of a mix of trail and road running across scenic surroundings.

At the Bangalore Ultra, runners can pick any distance (the favoured one is 52 km) provided they manage it within the 12 hours that the course is open. The distances in an Ultra marathon (up to 104 km) are truly testing and the event attracts runners for whom the only competition is against themselves. That is why the tagline of the Bangalore Ultra is “It’s Tough. Are you?”

Contact Information:
Arvind Bharathi (arvind.bharathi@thefullerlife.com)
http://www.BangaloreUltra.com
Phone: 080-4112 3851 (business hours 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.)

Runners for Life is a club for runners and the race caters to serious athletes. The number of registrations is capped at 200. Runners for Life, the organisers behind this run, has over 700 runners on their mailing list and their membership includes running enthusiasts of every shape and size including CEOs, techies, marketing folks and entrepreneurs. The club was formed to give runners in the city a platform to run and train together.